# Sofia Touami

> Sofia Touami, Ph.D., is the Chief Business Officer of Lycia Therapeutics, a South San Francisco biotech pioneering lysosomal targeting chimeras (LYTACs) - a platform invented by Nobel laureate Carolyn Bertozzi to degrade disease-causing extracellular proteins. A trained organic chemist who earned her Ph.D. at Stanford and did postdoctoral work at The Scripps Research Institute, Touami has built a career as one of biotech's sharpest dealmakers, having orchestrated major transactions including Frontier Medicines' landmark global collaboration with AbbVie before joining Lycia in July 2023. She helped close Lycia's oversubscribed $106.6 million Series C in May 2024, positioning the company to bring its LYTAC-based autoimmune therapies into clinical trials.

- **Role:** Chief Business Officer at Lycia Therapeutics
- **Organizations:** Lycia Therapeutics, Hexagon Bio, Frontier Medicines, NGM Biopharmaceuticals
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** A.B. in Chemistry, Washington University in St. Louis, Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, Stanford University, Postdoctoral Fellow, The Scripps Research Institute
- **Known for:** Orchestrated Frontier Medicines' global strategic collaboration with AbbVie, which included a $55M upfront payment and potential milestone payments exceeding $1 billion, Helped raise Lycia Therapeutics' $106.6 million oversubscribed Series C financing in May 2024, Built out Lycia's business development capabilities to advance LYTAC-based therapies toward clinical trials

## Career timeline

- **~2000s** — Completed postdoctoral studies at The Scripps Research Institute in organic/medicinal chemistry
- **~2010s** — Joined NGM Biopharmaceuticals as Senior Director of Business Development and Alliance Management, negotiating multiple academic, non-profit, and industry partnerships
- **~2018-2021** — Served as Vice President of Business Development at Frontier Medicines, leading the landmark global strategic collaboration with AbbVie (announced December 2020)
- **2021** — Became Chief Business Officer at Hexagon Bio, a natural products-focused biotech, overseeing strategic planning, business development, and corporate operations
- **2023-07** — Joined Lycia Therapeutics as Chief Business Officer
- **2024-05** — Helped close Lycia's oversubscribed $106.6 million Series C financing led by Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners

## Achievements

- Orchestrated Frontier Medicines' global strategic collaboration with AbbVie, which included a $55M upfront payment and potential milestone payments exceeding $1 billion
- Helped raise Lycia Therapeutics' $106.6 million oversubscribed Series C financing in May 2024
- Built out Lycia's business development capabilities to advance LYTAC-based therapies toward clinical trials
- Holds a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Stanford University and postdoctoral experience at The Scripps Research Institute
- Served as Chief Business Officer at two cutting-edge biotechs (Hexagon Bio, Lycia Therapeutics) focused on novel modalities

## Latest updates

- **2024-05** — Lycia Therapeutics completed an oversubscribed $106.6M Series C financing, with Touami playing a key business development role. New investors include Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners, Janus Henderson, Marshall Wace, and Franklin Templeton.
- **2024-10** — Updated official headshot published on Lycia Therapeutics team page.
- **2025-01** — Lycia Therapeutics continued advancing LYTAC lead programs toward IND-enabling studies for autoimmune indications.

## Links

- Website: https://lyciatx.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/sofia-touami-84b844a
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/LyciaTx
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/weinrichsschokoladenbruchbude/

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/sofia-touami
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-13